Violence in the Workplace: Preparedness, Prevention, Response, and Recovery Strategies for Acute and Critical Care Nurses

Required reading for all learners: Implicit Bias impacts patient outcomes

Workplace violence is defined as “violent acts (including physical assaults and threats of assaults) directed toward persons at work or on duty.” Workplace violence is 4 times more likely to occur in hospitals than in any other workplace setting. Four types of workplace violence related to health care settings have been identified: criminal intent, patient/client/visitor, personal, and worker-on-worker violence. Patient/client/visitor violence accounts for approximately 50% of fatal workplace injuries. Two hundred seven health care workers in the United States died between 2016 and 2020 due to workplace violence in the health care and social service industries. The results of ongoing workplace violence are decreased quality of care, decreased productivity, and higher employee turnover. The purpose of this integrative review was to identify interventions that acute and critical care nurses can employ to address patient/client/visitor workplace violence.